Sorachisaurus - Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant

DIM

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

a: This was a light clear brown color. It was served to me with a small fizzy cap.

s: Fresh, lemony hops, cedar closet, and a whiff of roasty cocoa.

t: Tons of citrus up front with some hints of cocoa and slightly astringent woody finish.

m: Slick bodied and fizzy.

o: While was pretty good and definitely intersting, 10 ounces was enough for me.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2012 20:46:04 | More by DIM

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap @ Iron Hill Lancaster on 1/13/12. Served in a 10 oz goblet.

Pours a deep coppery ruby, with a finger of bright-white head. This maintains a thin foaminess during the duration of the glass and slathers the sides with a sticky coating of lace. The aroma smells floral and zesty, with an underlying earthy bitterness. It’s a bit sweet and lightly roasty feeling along the back of the nose, with a malt presence that picks up considerably as this warms.

The taste has a smack of lemon tartness to it and an all around leafy citric bitterness that lays a nice fresh brightness on the palate. Towards the rear, I’m picking up some light toast and cocoa notes that confirm that this is indeed a Brown Ale but those Sorachi Ace hops really just dominate this, finishing things dry with a light woody pithiness that sticks to the tongue. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and prickly on the tongue, which then gives way to much more of a smooth creamy feel along the back. There is enough crispness here to keep those hops at the forefront yet this still stays very easy feeling in the mouth.

This came off to me as more of an IBA than it did an American Brown, as the hops are definitely the aggressor in this. The Brown Ale components did gain some strength though as this warmed but there is no mistake that this is basically a vehicle to show off what that Sorachi Ace varietal can do. I’m glad I gave this one a look.

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2012 19:48:29 | More by Kegatron

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.2/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at IH Lancaster.

Light caramel brown color, clear with a wispy, thin cream colored head. Very interesting aroma of citrus (sorachi), cedar like a humidor and roasty, chocolate malt. Flavor is dominated by caramel malt and roast chocolate with strong wood and a hoppy lemon/citrus finish. A very interesting, woody and citrusy brown ale.

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2011 18:59:44 | More by yourefragile

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Lancaster.

A: The brown ale is a caramel color, definitely brown but on the lighter umber side. A negligible head, barely off-white, isn't much to behold.

S: Sorachi's lemony citrus flavors mix with caramel and toffee and a powerful cedar aroma, like a humidor in a glass.

T: It's really a toss-up between the cedar and the hops. The woodiness is thick, sweet and bold, a flavorful aspect. The hops, thank you Sorachi, are lemony but not too bitter. Caramel malts support both of the big flavors nicely, rarely getting in the way. The lightness of the sorachi, mildly citric, builds well off of the cedar.

M: Wooden in an unorthodox kind of way, the cedar driving a hard bargain. Sorachi is more of a contributor, lending a citric sweetness to the wood. A nice brown ale.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, 781 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster

12-29-2011 22:03:20 | More by akorsak